Chapter Thirty-One-Quando a concubina diz que eu não mereço? A filha legítima renascida, abalando a corte e conquistando o posto de fênix(Chuva intensa)

The next day, when Ye Feng saw Leng Yichen, he hurried forward to report, his voice tinged with a hint of joy: "Your Highness, the Third Prince has awakened."

Leng Yichen arched a brow, as if receiving news that was both expected and yet slightly surprising. He gave a soft hum and asked, "How did the Emperor react?"

"He was naturally overjoyed; it is said he even heaped praises upon the Crown Prince," Ye Feng replied truthfully, a faint smile gracing his face.

Leng Yichen thought to himself that the Crown Prince must currently be basking in the warmth of the Emperor’s regained favor, his heart filled with joy as if he had obtained the world's most precious treasure. He wondered how the Crown Prince would feel when, one day, Leng Zhaowen’s blade pierced his chest—it was as if he were witnessing a tragedy already set in motion.

The antidote from the Medical Sage of Qingming was truly extraordinary. Within a few days, Leng Yichen actually saw Leng Zhaowen appearing in the imperial court; it seemed nothing short of a miracle. He could clearly perceive the affection and delight in the Emperor's eyes as he looked upon the Crown Prince and Leng Zhaowen, as if he had rediscovered a long-lost familial bond. Perhaps, after such a harrowing ordeal, seeing these two sons safe and sound had awakened the little paternal love he had left, acting like the warm sun in winter that briefly thawed the frigid atmosphere of the court.

For a time, the mood in the court was clearly less oppressive, as if the gloomy clouds had dispersed and the sun had broken through. However, Leng Yichen knew this was merely temporary, like the brief stillness before the dawn. As Shen Ning-shuang had said, the fact that the Crown Prince remained unscathed meant the Empress must have intervened to protect him. But since Shen Ning-shuang had declared her intent to move against the Eastern Palace, she surely would not do so without cause.

With Leng Zhaowen and Shen Ning-shuang keeping a close watch on court affairs, he did not worry too much, as if he now had a solid backing. Yet, the neighboring Ruijin Kingdom had been acting with increasing frequency lately. The two nations shared a long-standing, deep-seated enmity. While there had been no major conflicts in over a decade, border frictions were constant, like two neighboring giants occasionally shoving one another. The current Emperor, perhaps weary with age, chose only to endure and yield in hopes of keeping the peace, like an exhausted old man no longer capable of battle. He failed to realize that such displays of weakness would likely only embolden the wolfish ambitions of the Ruijin Kingdom, like harboring a tiger that would eventually turn on its master.

His thoughts were a tangled mess. Leng Yichen felt as if he were walking through a thick fog; he barely heard what was said in court, as if he had gone deaf. After court dismissed, he headed straight for Yuhua Pavilion, driven by an invisible force. He had given Shen Ning-shuang three days to investigate the crystal ball; now that the time had come, whether she intended to stall or tell the truth, she had to provide an answer, as if he were awaiting a verdict.

When he arrived at Yuhua Pavilion, he discovered that Leng Zhaowen had already arrived. To his surprise, Shen Muyun was there as well. These past few days, Shen Muyun had been sent away by Shen Fengmo to some remote corner for training—likely because Shen Fengmo had sensed changes coming in the court and wanted to keep him out of it, tucking away a chess piece. Now that Shen Ning-shuang had gathered the four of them, she surely intended to discuss something major, as if a secret council were about to convene.

Reflecting on these days and his current predicament, Leng Yichen felt his recent actions were truly absurd and laughable. Originally, he was a lone wolf, acting independently and rarely forming special ties or entanglements with others, like a solitary eagle soaring in the sky. Now, he was plotting with two youngsters like Leng Zhaowen and Shen Muyun, as if walking alongside fledgling birds. Even though these "youngsters" were not much younger than him, in his heart, they were juniors, like tender saplings. In his view, if he were to conspire, his peers should have been at the level of Shen Fengmo—a match between equals. Even more ridiculous was that the leader of this strange little group was Shen Ning-shuang, a girl who hadn't even reached her coming-of-age ceremony, as if a child were commanding adults.

However, his amusement vanished quickly. Once everyone was assembled, the first words out of Shen Ning-shuang’s mouth struck his ears like a thunderclap: "War is coming to the border."

Leng Yichen was deeply skeptical of Shen Ning-shuang's proclamation. In his view, while the border situation had indeed been volatile with constant minor friction, it was nowhere near the point of being on the brink of immediate war. Such a conflict involved too much—the deployment of troops, provisions, logistics, and strategic planning—all of which were critical factors for victory, and the current Ningyuan Kingdom was clearly ill-prepared.

Yet, Leng Zhaowen and Shen Muyun showed no surprise at Shen Ning-shuang's assertion, as if they had expected it all along. Seeing this, Leng Yichen realized the deep trust and absolute tacit understanding between the three of them; by comparison, he felt like an outsider, unable to integrate into their inner circle.

A faint, ambiguous curve touched his lips as he said with cool indifference, "War is not child's play. It requires thorough preparation and can never be launched rashly based on a few assertions. At the very least, Ningyuan does not currently possess the troop reserves, supplies, or strategic planning to meet such conditions. Tell me, on what grounds do you conclude that the Ruijin Kingdom will provoke a war so soon?" Although phrased as a question, the skepticism in his tone was like a sharpened blade.

Shen Ning-shuang, however, appeared fully confident. "Within three months, conflict between the two nations is inevitable. Before then, we have an even more urgent matter to attend to: bringing down the Crown Prince and pushing Brother Zhaowen onto the throne with all our might." Her gaze was resolute, as if she already held the future in the palm of her hand, with everything under her control.

Upon hearing this, Leng Yichen was not only unconvinced but wore a playful expression, as if listening to a nonsensical joke. The subtle arching of his brow and the curl of his lip laid his mockery bare.

Seeing this, Leng Zhaowen sighed in exasperation. "Imperial Uncle, at a time like this, surely you can grant us at least a modicum of trust?" His voice was laced with urgency, attempting to break the deadlock and have Leng Yichen set aside his prejudices.

Leng Yichen let out a cold snort and retorted without yielding, "You said 'us,' but this 'us' of yours does not seem to include me." The sourness and dissatisfaction in his words made him sound like a slighted child, full of grievances.

Leng Zhaowen raised a hand to rub his head; faced with his uncle's sarcastic attitude, he was momentarily at a loss, truly not knowing how to break the awkward ice. "Sister Shuang'er, why don't you just..." He was about to speak, but was sharply cut off by Shen Ning-shuang.