CFSSIR

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"Elder Brother Lu Zhao, have you investigated the matter regarding Princess Yonghe thoroughly?"

The two were chatting leisurely late at night when Shen Qingyao suddenly remembered that it had been a long time since she had heard any news from Princess Yonghe. After all, it concerned the plans of the major antagonist.

Shen Qingyao had initially mentioned it out of boredom, but now she was genuinely concerned and couldn't sleep. She tossed and turned, sitting up abruptly, which also prevented Lu Zhao from sleeping. He could only resign himself to staying awake with her.

Seeing the girl's eyes bright and alert, with no trace of sleepiness on her face, Lu Zhao sighed. He knew that if he didn't speak, she would probably keep him up all night.

"After Princess Yonghe was brought into the royal court, she intruded into the King of Nanzhao's bedchamber without permission. Nanzhao accused her of malicious intent, claiming she was a spy sent by Great Liang, aiming to delay the scheduled enthronement ceremony." Lu Zhao spoke calmly and casually, but Shen Qingyao widened her eyes in surprise. She hadn't expected the situation to be so serious, with accusations of espionage involved.

In her impression, Princess Yonghe wasn't someone who would act so recklessly. Why would she intrude into the bedchamber without cause? Shen Qingyao furrowed her brow and couldn't help but ask, "Is the King taking this stance as well? After all the effort to find someone so similar, they shouldn't be so quick to abandon it, right?"

Lu Zhao chuckled, his smile tinged with mockery. Shen Qingyao rarely saw him like this and couldn't help but glance at him. Lu Zhao took advantage of the moment to embrace her, gently resting his chin on her head and softly saying, "Of course not. The King spared her. Princess Yonghe is safe and sound in the royal court now, but without any official status."

"How could this be?" Shen Qingyao was even more puzzled. Welcoming Princess Yonghe into the royal court was King of Nanzhao's decree, and without the King's consent, she couldn't believe Princess Yonghe could have done it. Nanzhao did meticulous efforts to defame and slander Princess Yonghe, only to spare her at the last moment? What exactly did they intend to do?

"Somebody wants to use the King to create discord between Great Liang and Nanzhao. The King of Nanzhao may have noticed and decided to play along, but he didn't want things to escalate too much, hence leaving himself some room." Lu Zhao's voice was low, cutting through the superficial appearances to reveal the underlying threads of the situation.

"Who?" Shen Qingyao blurted out instinctively, then quickly realized, "Is it Xiao Jing?"

Lu Zhao looked at her somewhat surprised, then after a moment, gave her an approving glance. Softly, he said, "Yaoyao is very clever."

Shen Qingyao blushed. She had only mentioned him because he was the only major antagonist she knew, so she was casually speculating, not expecting it to be true.

"Xiao Jing is favored by His Majesty, but ultimately he won't be the one to succeed to the throne. Despite His Majesty's favor, he lacks real power. Naturally, he's planning for his own future." Lu Zhao didn't think these were matters the little girl shouldn't hear. Since she wanted to know, he explained the intricacies of the court situation in detail: "If Nanzhao and Great Liang fall out, it will affect both rulers, and if he can use this opportunity to cooperate with the King of Nanzhao, he can use Nanzhao's military strength to help him ascend while also gaining credit for reclaiming Nanzhao. It's a win-win deal for him."

Shen Qingyao stared with her mouth agape, unable to speak for a while. Upon careful consideration, she realized it made sense. Even the least favored in the Great Liang court, like Xiao Mu, still controlled a military force in the northern borders. As for Xiao Jing, besides favor, he seemed to have nothing else. "Then... Princess Yonghe..."