Chapter 415: Chapter 415: You Seem to Know Him Well

On the road back to Ling’an, Zhou Cangyan traveled with Song Lianhe as if they were on a leisurely tour, in no hurry at all to return and report to the Emperor.

When they reached Jiguan Mountain, Zhou Cangyan ordered them to rest.

Jiguan Mountain was no more than thirty *li* from Ling’an City. Ever since their arrival, many vegetable farmers had appeared in the vicinity, squatting by the roadside and hawking their wares. The passing villagers also seemed strange; though they leaned on crutches, their steps were remarkably steady.

Song Lianhe sat in an open-air teahouse, sipping her tea as she glanced around.

"Lianhe, don’t you think these people are strange?"

Ah Jun couldn’t help but whisper, "They keep sizing us up. You don’t think they’re watching us, do you?" He then glanced at the man standing outside talking with a Shadow Guard. "Should we tell Prince Qing?"

Song Lianhe chuckled and set down her cup. "If even you’ve noticed, how could he possibly not know?"

Ah Jun shrugged. ’Well, as long as he’s here, there’s nothing to worry about.’

’Even though I really don’t like how Zhou Cangyan is always clinging to Lianhe,’ he thought, ’I have to admit, Prince Qing is Prince Qing. He’s completely reliable when it counts.’

A moment later, Zhou Cangyan came over.

The Shadow Guard following him stepped forward and lifted Ah Jun to his feet. "You, come with me."

"Where are we going? I don’t want to... I want to stay with Lianhe..."

"No, you’re going to stay with your big brother." Ignoring his protests, the Shadow Guard hauled him over to another table.

After sitting down, Zhou Cangyan picked up her cup without a second thought, poured himself some tea, and drank it.

Song Lianhe tilted her chin toward the people outside. "Whose men are they?"

"Emperor Cheng Xiao’s."

Song Lianhe nodded. "The people who’ve been following us this whole time... they’re all his?"

Zhou Cangyan seemed a little surprised. "You knew?"

"They were so obvious, it was hard not to notice."

Zhou Cangyan gazed toward the gates of Ling’an City. "I captured Sishui City, yet he didn’t let me press my advantage. Instead, he urgently summoned me back to report. I imagine he wants to settle things once and for all."

Song Lianhe grew anxious the moment she heard that.

’Zhou Cangyan wouldn’t be foolish enough to walk into a trap,’ she thought. ’He must be fully prepared. But knowingly walking into a snare... if anything goes wrong, it’ll be irreversible!’

"Why must you go back? You have fifty thousand soldiers under your command, and now you have the support of King Li Xiang of Chuzhou. Why should you be afraid of him? Why not..." She leaned closer, lowered her voice, and made a sharp, chopping motion with her hand. "Why not just rebel!"

Zhou Cangyan froze for a second, then looked up at her, a smile slowly blooming in his eyes. He was truly charmed by her.

He never imagined that one day, those words would come from her.

He gave her a half-smile. "Then why don’t you tell me? How should I rebel?"

"Do I need to teach you? Haven’t you been working toward this goal for years? The-the soldiers you’ve raised in Sui Bei, and-and those people in the imperial court, and Master Shen and the others... aren’t they all your people? If that Emperor Cheng Xiao pushes you too far, then don’t put up with it! Just rebel!"

Seeing her grind her teeth in frustration, Zhou Cangyan was amused. He rested his cheek on his hand and watched her. "You’re right. Before... I would have rebelled if I wanted to. But now..."

"But now that Emperor Cheng Xiao is being even more outrageous! He sent you to quell rebellions twice, and both times he gave you the old, the weak, the sick, and the disabled! This time was even worse, with dysentery running rampant! A severe outbreak could have wiped out the entire army!"

The more Song Lianhe spoke, the angrier she became. ’Such a narrow-minded man, who treats his own soldiers like they’re nothing! He deserves to be overthrown!’

The more indignant she grew, the wider Zhou Cangyan’s smile became.

Song Lianhe shot him a look, her expression darkening slightly. "What are you smiling at? Aren’t you angry?"

He composed his smile. "Of course I’m angry. But seeing someone stick up for me and worry about me at every turn also makes me very happy."

Seeing his conflicted expression, Song Lianhe gave a dry laugh. "His Highness Prince Qing is so calm and collected; you must have had a foolproof plan all along. So, tell me what it is. It’ll save me from running around in a panic like an idiot while your old self sits calmly in the command tent."

Hearing the sarcasm in her tone, Zhou Cangyan quickly took her hand. "I know you mean well."

"Heh."

She twitched her lips, and then her smile vanished.

"I don’t know why, but you seem to understand everything about me. So you know about my schemes and preparations. However, that was all before. Now, nothing and no one is more important than you."

Song Lianhe pressed her lips together and looked up at him.

He held both her hands, his gaze lowered, concealing the trace of coldness in his eyes as if afraid of scaring her.

"Yesterday, Emperor Cheng Xiao formally appointed Prince Hang as the Crown Prince."

"What?!"

Song Lianhe was stunned. "Why him? Shouldn’t it be..."

"Zhou Ziyi?"

He looked at her, his eyes full of understanding.

Song Lianhe opened her mouth, but the words that were about to tumble out got stuck in her throat.

’...It’s still no use.’

’The original female lead might figure it out, the male lead might suspect it, but I’m the one person who can’t say anything about my transmigration into the book.’ 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

’Then again, the main plot of the book was about Zhou Junlin becoming emperor and winning the beauty in the end.’

’But the position of imperial heir, which should have been his, has now gone to Prince Hang, Zhou Gaosuo. The plot has completely deviated from the main storyline. I can no longer predict what will happen next.’

Seeing her brows knitted tightly in silent thought, Zhou Cangyan didn’t press her further, simply saying, "In everyone’s eyes, he is the most suitable candidate, and Emperor Cheng Xiao values this son greatly."

"Isn’t he?" Song Lianhe suddenly realized something and looked at him in surprise. "So, this is all a smokescreen?"

He raised an eyebrow. "A what?"

"Er, you know, cannon fodder. It means..."

Zhou Cangyan seemed to understand. He nodded. "Something like that."

’Song Lianhe really hadn’t expected this. In the original novel, Zhou Junlin’s appointment as heir and ascension to the throne all seemed to happen step-by-step. But thinking about it carefully, could it be possible that Zhou Junlin knew about all this from the start and manipulated things from behind the scenes to make it all happen?’

Having figured this out, she looked at Zhou Cangyan again.

The man was perfectly calm, as if everything that happened was within his expectations.

A wave of realization washed over Song Lianhe.

"You’re the one who made all this happen."

’If the one driving the plot in the original novel was the male lead, Zhou Junlin...’

’...then the one who changed everything is him.’

A faint smile touched Zhou Cangyan’s lips. "Emperor Cheng Xiao has so many women in his harem. There are those he respects, those he admires, and perhaps even those he regrets. But his most beloved is Zhou Gaosuo’s mother, Consort Zhao Hui. He loves the son for the mother’s sake, but unfortunately, the boy is inferior to Ziyin in every way. Lately, Emperor Cheng Xiao’s health has been declining daily. He has to appoint an heir to stabilize the court, and all I did was have someone give things a little push from the sidelines."

He said it so casually, but Song Lianhe knew the reality was far more complicated.

"What about Zhou Junlin, then? He did nothing? That doesn’t sound like his style."

Zhou Cangyan chuckled softly. "You seem to know him quite well."

Song Lianhe was quick to backpedal. "Don’t know him, never met him, have no idea."

’In short, we’re not close!’