The carriage stopped, and Zhou Shiyin said, "The eldest young madam has arrived."
Xue Zining alighted from the carriage and discovered that this was indeed a temple fair.
There were many people.
She had come somewhat uncertain of Zhou Shiyin's intentions in bringing her here.
However, one thing was certain: it was absolutely not for her to offer incense.
"Where are we going?" Xue Zining asked.
Zhou Shiyin replied, "The eldest young madam, please follow Shiyin."
There were rooms in the back of the temple. Arriving at a doorway, Zhou Shiyin announced, "Master Wanglan, the person is here."
"Let her in," a voice came from within.
Zhou Shiyin said to Xue Zining, "Eldest young madam, please."
Xue Zining glanced at Zhou Shiyin indifferently and pushed the door open.
The room was elegantly simple, with hardly any furnishings. There was only a bed, and seated on the bed was a nun striking a wooden fish.
The crisp sound echoed through the room.
She raised her eyes to look at the person striking the wooden fish. With a single glance, she froze. The person striking the wooden fish stopped, removed the veil from her head, revealing a familiar face.
The once delicate and pretty face now showed signs of hardship and fatigue, but the hatred in her eyes intensified, eventually condensing into a ferocious gaze.
"Yunlan, long time no see!" Xue Zining said calmly to Xue Yunlan, who was disguised as Master Wanglan.
Xue Yunlan smiled, her ferocious gaze revealing fierce hatred. "Don't call me by my name. You killed Father King and took everything that belonged to me. What right do you have to call my name?"
Xue Zining looked at her and said calmly, "The victor becomes king, the vanquished becomes bandit. If Xue Yunlan, you had won, I likely wouldn't be standing here today."
Xue Yunlan was startled and turned her face away. "That was your feminine benevolence."
Except for Father King, who poisoned himself to death, everyone else in the Regent's Mansion was sent by the Empress to Ninghu Tower, to guard the imperial mausoleum for generations, forbidden to return to the capital without a decree.
When she heard this news, she scoffed, "Feminine benevolence. Don't they know that if you don't cut the weeds at the roots, they'll grow back with the spring breeze?"
"Yunlan, you didn't bring me here just to express your hatred, did you?" Xue Zining asked as she sat down.
Xue Yunlan looked at the girl's still calm demeanor. She desperately wanted to shatter that calmness. It seemed that for some time now, Xue Zining had always appeared so composed.
"Fine, I won't beat around the bush. There is a way to cure Hua Yunjin's illness," Xue Yunlan said.
Xue Zining's gaze paused. She looked up, her eyes as cold and clear as frost. "Are you telling the truth?"
Xue Yunlan chuckled softly. "At this point, is there any reason for me to lie to you?"
"You can't obtain it by yourself," Xue Zining said calmly, her eyes clear as water.
Xue Yunlan bit her lower lip and said coldly, "Xue Zining, can you not be so clever?"
The girl curved her lips into a smile. "Because you are Xue Yunlan, you would only use things to threaten me and make me bow before you. Now that you don't have that, it can only mean that you cannot obtain that thing by your own strength."
Xue Yunlan gritted her teeth and squeezed out, "So what? If I don't tell you, you still won't know."
Xue Zining shook her head. "Then let me guess."
The girl steadied her breath, looked around, and then her gaze fell upon Xue Yunlan's slightly protruding belly.
Xue Yunlan started, instinctively cupped her hands over her abdomen, and took a step back. "What... what do you want to do?"
"Xue Yu's child?" the girl's red lips parted slightly, and she said softly.
Xue Yunlan bit her lower lip and said angrily, "What business is it of yours?"
The girl sighed softly. "How can it not be my business? Xue Yu is my person, after all. His child is..."
Xue Yunlan retreated several steps, until she stumbled onto the bed and exclaimed, "Don't even think about laying your hands on my child and me. Xue Zining, do you want this information or not?"
"Can that thing cure Hua Yunjin?" Xue Zining asked.
Xue Yunlan looked at her, turned her face away, and said nothing more.
"It's not in Huangze," Xue Zining added.
Xue Yunlan sneered. "You are indeed smart."
Xue Zining's eyes turned slightly cold. She looked up and said coldly, "Xue Country?"
Xue Yunlan was stunned, and after a long pause, she said coldly, "As expected, you are exceptionally intelligent. You could guess that."
The girl stood up and said lightly, "I know Xue Country has a treasure that is said to be able to bring people back from the dead. It is the national treasure of Xue Country, preserved in the temple of Xue Country."
Xue Yunlan sneered, looking at the girl with a mocking gaze. "Yes, it is the treasure in the Xue Country's temple. Do you dare to go, Xue Zining? I've heard that since this thing came into being, countless people have gone to the temple, but none have ever returned."
Upon hearing this, the girl's beautiful and clear face became serious, and her gaze towards Xue Yunlan turned colder. "We have an agreement with Xue Country that people from Huangze and Xue Country are not allowed to set foot in each other's country."
Xue Yunlan tsked twice upon hearing this. "That is truly a pity. Seeing that there is a treasure that can heal the Prime Minister, yet you can only watch helplessly."
The girl's gaze fell upon Xue Yunlan, filled with immense coldness. "Since you have come to give me this information, you must have a solution."
"Why should I tell you? Xue Zining, I want you to watch as someone important dies before your eyes," Xue Yunlan said coldly, word by word.
"Then, how about I strike a deal with you?" the girl asked, sitting down with a composed expression, as if everything were under her control.
This made Xue Yunlan even more annoyed. Why did she have the advantageous position and still remain so calm?
"I want the throne. Will you give it to me?" Xue Yunlan asked with a cold smile.
The girl smiled faintly upon hearing this. "Certainly, but are you sure you can sit in that position?"
Xue Yunlan snorted coldly. "The court is now filled with your people. If I go, it would be tantamount to seeking death. I am not that foolish."
"My condition is that I will not take any measures or actions against you within five years. How about that?" the girl said slowly.
Xue Yunlan was slightly taken aback, disbelieving. "Aren't you afraid that in these five years, I will recruit troops, build up my forces, and seize your position?"
The girl smiled faintly, her gaze clear and bright, like the morning light, extremely dazzling.
At this moment, the girl sat there, looking down at these ants, finding it laughable that they were ants who overestimated their own strength.
Was this the demeanor of a sovereign?
"If in five years you can defeat me, I will be utterly convinced. However, Xue Yunlan, I want you to remember the vast mountains and rivers of Huangze were painstakingly established by our ancestors of the Xue clan. I hope that at any time or place, you will not forget that you are also a member of the Xue clan, and members of the Xue clan have a responsibility to preserve the Xue clan."
The girl's voice was clear and cold, filled with intense chill.
Xue Yunlan was slightly startled and turned her face away. "The victor becomes king, the vanquished becomes bandit. Whatever you say now is right, and whatever I say is wrong, because I lost."