The Glory

Fu Yunxi's еуеs fliсkеred as he silеntlу watchеd Han Yаn. Shе rеmаinеd sо comрosed, as if she didn't carе аbout this mаtter аt аll.

"Ноw did my brоthеr еnd uр stаying with уou?" Irina askеd.

"It's simрle—bеcause I sаved him," Hаn Yan reрliеd соldlу. "Whilе Yоur Highness еnjоys hеr саrefrеe lifе, dоn't forget thаt this is thе Greаt Dynasty, whеre anything саn hаpрen. Thosе whо tаrgetеd уоur brоthеr tоdaу сould dо the sаme to уou tоmоrrоw." She smilеd fаintlу, hеr exprеssion calm, as if she hаd finally madе a deсision. "Аs fоr me, I wоn't be keeping you company any longer."

"What do you intend to do?" Unexpectedly, it was Fu Yunxi, who had been silent all along, who spoke up. His gaze was icy and profound, carrying an indescribable emotion that was unsettling to behold.

Han Yan smiled lightly. "I'm going back, Your Highness."

Fu Yunxi's eyes shifted subtly as he watched her without a change in expression. Han Yan smiled again. "Originally, I planned to wait for the imperial decree before leaving, but I've changed my mind now."

Irina was taken aback at first. She had thought Han Yan was here to cause trouble, but instead, Han Yan announced her intention to leave the Xuan Qing Prince's Mansion. This was exactly what Irina had hoped for. She hadn't expected Han Yan to be so sensible. "That's just as well," Irina said. "It saves us from having an outsider here, disturbing the affection between His Highness and me."

Han Yan nodded slightly before turning to leave. Her steps were unhurried but steady, and her frail figure appeared unusually resolute. Watching from the side, Mufeng felt as if Han Yan were walking out of their lives forever, never to return. Uneasy, he glanced back at Fu Yunxi, only to see him staring at Han Yan's retreating figure, a trace of sorrow flickering in his eyes. Though it vanished in an instant, Mufeng caught it. He looked at Fu Yunxi with confusion—what was going on with His Highness?

Only after Han Yan's figure had completely disappeared did Irina walk over to Linlang, frowning. "How foolish. You couldn't even handle such a small matter properly and ended up giving her leverage. It seems you can't stay by my side any longer."

Linlang was stunned and quickly pleaded, "Your Highness, please spare me this once. I'll never dare to do it again."

Irina snorted coldly. Noticing Fu Yunxi, she hurried over to him and took his arm. "She's finally gone. Now the mansion can be peaceful."

Fu Yunxi withdrew his arm from her grasp and said calmly, "Don't act on your own in the future."

His tone was far from pleasant. Irina, angered, laughed instead. "What do you mean by that? Seeing her leave, you're unhappy, aren't you? Do you want to chase after her? But she spent the entire night with my brother last night. Do you still want such a fickle woman? Doesn't your Great Dynasty value chastity and propriety the most..."

"Enough." Fu Yunxi cut her off before she could finish. Irina froze, looking up to meet his gaze, cold and sharp as a blade. "This mansion is not yet yours to speak for."Irina stamped her foot. Though fearful in her heart, she was still unwilling to give up. Earlier in the study, she had deliberately spoken that way, hoping to shut Han Yan out. But at that time, Fu Yunxi had strongly opposed it. If not for... if not for... She suddenly raised her head: "Don’t forget, if it weren’t for me... you..."

"Mufeng," Fu Yunxi directly cut off her next words. "Escort the princess back to her room." With that, he turned and left.

He disappeared too quickly, leaving behind only a trembling, furious Irina and a helpless Mufeng. However, Mufeng now felt even more dissatisfied with Irina. Such a pampered princess, who only knew how to cause trouble and was ignorant of the hardships of life—how could she possibly be worthy of the prince? The young lady of the Zhuang family was far better, quietly arranging everything with skill and tact. Ah, indeed, people cannot be compared.

As Han Yan stepped out, Ji Lan and Shu Hong had just finished packing and were about to leave the room. Han Yan glanced around the room she had lived in for a year. It felt so familiar to her, a place where she had felt safe, free from worries about scheming concubines and her treacherous father. Yet, when she first moved in, she had never imagined she would leave so soon. Habit was truly a troublesome thing. When accustomed people and accustomed things were forced to change, it was truly hard to accept.

Ji Lan watched Han Yan cautiously. She had thought Han Yan would show some reluctance or sadness upon leaving. In Ji Lan’s life, nothing frightened her more than seeing Han Yan look sorrowful—it made Ji Lan feel even worse than if she herself were sad. But Han Yan merely gazed calmly at everything in the room, seemingly nostalgic but without a trace of reluctance.

Shu Hong inwardly applauded. Her young lady was someone who knew when to hold on and when to let go. If something was deemed unworthy, she wouldn’t waste too much emotion on it. No matter how wonderful the Xuan Qing Prince’s Mansion was, once it changed and was no longer a place that could offer warmth to her young lady, what harm was there in abandoning it? Happiness should not be something begged from others; it must be fought for oneself.

Han Yan thought for a moment, then took out the blue fish-tail hairpin from her sleeve and placed it on the table. This item should have been returned to him long ago.

"Young lady, if we return like this, Master..." Ji Lan was worried. Everyone knew how vicious the rumors about Han Yan were outside—an unfaithful, impure abandoned woman, likely to be scorned even while walking on the streets. Zhuang Shiyang was someone who valued face above all else. This time, Han Yan had brought him immense shame, and he would surely despise her for it. Moreover, Concubine Mei and the Zhou Sisters had met tragic fates because of Han Yan. No matter what, Zhuang Shiyang would not take Han Yan’s side. To him, it was as if Han Yan had bullied the two women by his side to such an extent, and he would certainly not miss the chance to strike back at her harshly. Outsiders might not know, but Ji Lan and Shu Hong were well aware—Zhuang Shiyang treated Han Yan not like a daughter but like a natural-born enemy. Returning to the Zhuang residence, Han Yan’s life might not be any easier than it had been in the Xuan Qing Prince’s Mansion."What are you afraid of?" Han Yan was amused by Ji Lan's worried expression and laughed. "We're not even afraid of that Western Rong princess, so why fear him? Besides, his official rank can't compare to a proper princess, can it?"

"But, Miss," Ji Lan was somewhat confused. "Didn't you say earlier that Western Rong was just a defeated nation, and the princess merely a gift? Now you make it sound as if she's quite precious."

Ji Lan had always trusted Han Yan's words implicitly, so she had taken Han Yan's earlier remarks to Linlang at face value. However, a starved camel is still bigger than a horse. Those words had only worked because Irina and Linlang were unfamiliar with the Great Dynasty's situation. Moreover, since Western Rong was indeed a defeated nation, Han Yan had played on their mindset to make Irina believe that a Western Rong princess truly meant nothing in the Great Dynasty. But how could they know that, given the current state of Western Rong, even the Great Dynasty held some apprehension? After all, the fact that the war had stalemated for a full year showed that Western Rong's national strength was not weak. The very existence of marriage alliances stemmed from two nations being roughly equal in power. If the Great Dynasty truly had the strength to completely conquer Western Rong, it would never have accepted such terms. Therefore, in the present circumstances, the broader situation still had to be considered. The Emperor could not possibly treat Irina as merely a gift from a defeated nation; instead, he would likely treat her with courtesy and kindness.