Headache-Inducing Matters

Anyang City, post station.

Feng Ruoxue leaned against the windowsill, gazing up at the sky with vacant eyes, lost in thought.

"Princess, that young master from the Chen Family is utterly unreliable. He clearly said he would come pick you up in a couple of days, but even now, he still hasn't shown himself."

Hong Luan stood behind Feng Ruoxue, complaining.

The palm print on her face had long since faded. After all, it had been a second-grade medicinal pill; it was more than capable of such a minor effect.

"Alright, stop blaming him. Perhaps something delayed him?" Feng Ruoxue spoke very gently.

"Look at you. You haven't even married him yet, and you're already taking his side," Hong Luan said.

"Forget it, forget it. Let's not talk about him. Isn't this quite nice too? I don't have to think about anything or worry about anything. If I really went to the Chen Family, I wouldn't even know what I would amount to there." Feng Ruoxue braced herself against the windowsill, resting her head on her hands. There was not the slightest emotion in her smile.

"What's nice about it? You spend every day trapped in this tiny room and can't go anywhere. How do you look like a princess at all?" Seeing Feng Ruoxue so despondent, Hong Luan felt deeply unwilling to accept it.

Back when Feng Ruoxue had been in the palace, she had also had to abide by many rules, but she had never been shut inside one little room after another like this, surrounded by such lifelessness.

"Princess, how about we go out for a walk?" Hong Luan suddenly became excited, seemingly trying to divert Feng Ruoxue's attention. She said with a grin.

"I've long heard that Anyang City is incredibly prosperous, but I've never had the chance to see it for myself. Princess, we have time now, so why not go take a look? Once you enter the Chen Family, the rules of such a clan will be far too strict. You may never get another chance like this." Hong Luan's eyes were filled with longing.

Hearing Hong Luan's words, Feng Ruoxue thought of how this city would be where she spent the rest of her life, and her interest was piqued.

Feng Ruoxue straightened up and looked at Hong Luan. "Alright. But with our identities, it wouldn't be suitable for us to appear here openly. We should disguise ourselves first."

"Understood." Hong Luan immediately became even more excited at Feng Ruoxue's suggestion.

She hurried off to prepare some things.

She needed to notify the people at the post station in advance that they were going out. Otherwise, if Chen Cheng suddenly came looking for them and did not find Feng Ruoxue, it would be difficult to explain.

They also needed the post station staff to prepare some disguise materials, such as men's clothing for dressing as men, beards, and the like.

As long as they gave the post station attendants some money, the staff could handle all of it properly.

An hour later, two handsome young men in white had appeared on the streets.

As they walked, the sights around them put Feng Ruoxue in a very pleasant mood.

She had traveled here by carriage the entire way. Although she had seen plenty of prosperous sights along the road, actually walking through the streets herself gave her an entirely different feeling.

"Young Master, it's been so long since we relaxed like this. It feels pretty nice." Hong Luan stayed close beside Feng Ruoxue, playing about as they went.

At this moment, both of them were dressed as men. Naturally, Hong Luan's form of address for Feng Ruoxue had changed from "Princess" to "Young Master."

Anyang City was even more prosperous than the Izumo Imperial Capital. Even though the two had often wandered through the bustling districts of the Izumo Imperial Capital, the sights here still left them greatly astonished.

This was, after all, where the Murong Family's headquarters was located. The small roadside shops had abundant goods, including many novel items that could not be found in the Izumo Empire. Feng Ruoxue spent freely. If she liked something, she would usually buy it. She never bargained either; whatever price the shopkeeper named, she paid.

It was only money. As an imperial princess, she had plenty of it.

"Hong Luan, I'm a little tired. There's a teahouse over there. Let's go sit down."

After strolling around for quite a while, Feng Ruoxue's feet had begun to ache. At that moment, she spotted a place ahead with a teahouse sign and spoke to Hong Luan.

While Feng Ruoxue and Hong Luan were touring the city, Chen Cheng was still in Chen Ye's secret chamber.

Chen Cheng had not taken the Source of Deadly Poison Cultivation Method with him. It remained in Chen Ye's care.

Cultivating the Source of Deadly Poison also required the preparation of certain poisons. Chen Li, who oversaw the Poison Master Association in Yanling County, needed to gather and formulate those poisons.

The preparations would take some time, so Chen Cheng would remain relatively idle during this period.

"Cheng'er, you must never get together with that girl from the Feng Family." After confirming Chen Cheng's Cultivation Method, Chen Ye suddenly spoke to him solemnly.

"What do you mean?" Chen Cheng asked.

Chen Cheng had met Feng Ruoxue only once, so it was naturally impossible for him to have fallen for her. Still, hearing someone suddenly tell him that he could not fall in love with Feng Ruoxue made him feel quite uncomfortable.

"Given the relationship between the Chen Family and the Feng Family, they are bound to be irreconcilable enemies. There will be no good outcome between you and that girl from the Feng Family."

"An imperial war cannot be resolved merely because a little princess like her comes to marry into the family. She is destined to become a pawn beneath the heavens.

"A while ago, the Feng Family ceded three more counties to us. But that cannot stop the Chen Family's ambition to continue expanding.

"Whether it is your father or everyone in the Chen Family, they have long been dissatisfied with the current state of affairs. They are certain to seek to go further, overthrow the Feng Family, and establish a unified empire belonging to our Chen Family.

"Before, when you had not yet returned, Yuan'er had no intention of fighting for it. But now that you have appeared, his ambition has been rekindled. Even if not for himself, he will do it for you, giving you even greater power and authority.

"Even if your father has no such intention, those beneath him will not agree.

"These people follow your father not merely because he is a Dou Emperor and they wish to enjoy the shade beneath a great tree. What they value even more is the Chen Family's ambition.

"The Izumo Empire cannot grant them supreme power and authority. Only if the Chen Family overthrows Izumo and establishes a truly unified empire can their ambitions be satisfied."

"And by then, you will be the crown prince of the new empire, while that girl from the Feng Family will be a princess of the former dynasty. Do you think the two of you could still get along?"

Chen Ye spoke to Chen Cheng in an even tone, while Chen Cheng listened with great seriousness.

Chen Cheng had been here for over a month already, so he naturally understood just how ambitious the Chen Family was.

If anyone else harbored rebellious intentions, they would at least conceal them somewhat, not daring to let the empire find out.

But the Chen Family openly displayed its intention to overthrow the Izumo Empire. Even children who could not read said that Chen Yuan was the emperor.

Within Yanling County, the people knew only of the Chen Family and did not know that Yanling County was still territory of the Izumo Empire.

Chen Cheng had no doubt whatsoever that the Chen Family possessed the ability to overthrow the empire.

Ever since coming here, Chen Cheng had lived within the Chen Family, enjoying the authority of the Chen Family's Young Master. He had grown accustomed to believing that this was simply normal life. Although he had always heard people say that the Chen Family intended to overthrow the Izumo Empire, he had never experienced it himself and could not truly relate to it. He had merely treated it as a joke and laughed it off.

But now that he thought about it carefully, it really was quite troublesome.

If Feng Ruoxue married Chen Cheng and the Chen Family destroyed the Feng Family, then Chen Cheng would become Feng Ruoxue's enemy. Living under the same roof, the two of them would hardly get along.

Yet when Chen Cheng had agreed to Chen Yuan's suggestion back then, it was only because he wanted to have some fun with a noble woman like an imperial princess. He had not considered much else.

Now that Feng Ruoxue had already been sent over, they could not possibly send her back, could they?

"Cheng'er, I won't object if you merely intend to have some fun. But if you develop feelings for her, I absolutely will not allow it. That will only hurt you," Chen Ye said sternly.

"I know where to draw the line." Chen Cheng frowned, feeling a tremendous headache coming on, and gave an ambiguous answer.