50. The matter was handled to absolute perfection.

In the afternoon, at the Hall of Heavenly Harmony in the imperial palace of the Brilliant Sun Empire, Yue'er stepped inside and immediately saw Rui An and Li Jinzhou standing on the left and right respectively. As soon as they entered, they paid respects to Xuanyuan Ren. Yue'er, Haiyang, and Haiming knelt on both knees, bowed deeply, and said in unison, "Greetings, Your Majesty. May Your Majesty live for ten thousand years, ten thousand years, ten thousand years!" Their courtly greeting differed entirely from that of Feishu because they were merely subjects, and thus required to perform the full prostration ceremony.

Although Feishu had not yet been enfeoffed as a prince, everyone knew that it was only a matter of time. As Xuanyuan Ren's brother, he only needed to bend slightly at the waist and perform a standard抱手 (cupped-fist) salute. Feishu bowed to Xuanyuan Ren and said, "Greetings, Royal Brother!" Having gone without sleep for two days and two nights, everyone was thoroughly exhausted and longed to return home to rest immediately. However, they had to report to Xuanyuan Ren first and resolve the matter, otherwise their toil over the past forty-eight hours would have been in vain.

Xuanyuan Ren waved his hand with a satisfied smile and said, "Please rise, everyone. You have all worked hard. You accomplished this in a mere three days! Once this matter is fully resolved, I shall bestow rewards upon you all according to your merits!" He genuinely admired their efficiency. The Lanyan Empire had given him a deadline of ten days, yet they had investigated the truth within three days. Furthermore, it had nothing to do with the Brilliant Sun Empire; it was entirely instigated by Lanyan's own people. This greatly enhanced the prestige of the Brilliant Sun Empire within Lanyan and saved face for the realm, making rewards naturally well-deserved.

Yue'er and the others replied in unison, "Thank you, Your Majesty. It is the humble subjects' honor to serve the country, and we dare not ask for rewards!" Of course, Haiyang and Haiming were merely being modest, but Yue'er truly wanted no rewards whatsoever. If Xuanyuan Ren were to appoint her to an official post, it would be the very outcome she least desired. Yet, this was no longer within her control; everything had long since slipped beyond her grasp.

Feishu drew evidence from his bosom, handed it to Xuanyuan Ren, and said, "Royal Brother, Elder Brother Chengxian instructed me to present this to you. This contains the words spoken by Prince Poli of the Lanyan Empire, which we heard with our own ears within the imperial palace of Lanyan, as well as the confession of Wuri Geng, the Grand Marshal of the Tatar troops!" Xuanyuan Ren signaled Eunuch Rong to take the items from Feishu's hands.

After reading the contents, Xuanyuan Ren was furious. A dignified prince had actually stirred up trouble in a foreign country and attempted to provoke a war between two nations, completely disregarding the life and death of the common people of both lands. Such a person was simply a disgrace to his country. Xuanyuan Ren said anxiously, "I wonder if Prince Jun is in any danger?" Zhao Chengxian was his closest friend and his only friend; if anything were to happen to Zhao Chengxian because of this, he would forever harbor deep regret.

Upon hearing Zhao Chengxian mentioned, Yue'er echoed with equal anxiety, "Indeed, might anything happen to Prince Jun?" Her expression was icy, as though her soul had left her body. She would likely maintain this exact expression until she received news of Zhao Chengxian's safety.

Prince Rui stepped forward, faced Xuanyuan Ren, and comforted him, "Your Majesty need not worry. Prince Jun is a man of great fortune and will come to no harm!" Li Jinzhou glanced at Prince Rui with an unconvinced expression. He rather disliked Zhao Chengxian; if not for something Zhao Chengxian had said to Xuanyuan Ren previously, his own daughter would not have been demoted from Consort Shu to a fourth-rank Attendant. Li Jinzhou was unaware that Zhao Chengxian already had his past completely figured out. Prince Rui believed in Zhao Chengxian's capabilities, considering him a genuinely competent young man. He understood that the future of the Brilliant Sun Empire must eventually be handed over to the youth, as no matter how capable the older generation was, they could not shoulder the burden forever. Prince Rui merely hoped to bring down Li Jinzhou and restore an upright court to Xuanyuan Ren, which would allow him to fulfill the dying wish of his imperial brother, the late emperor. Regrettably, his judgment of people was occasionally flawed, much like the incident with Xia Keshang. Prince Rui's intentions were good, but his discernment of character left much to be desired.

Just as Prince Rui's voice trailed off, a young eunuch entered. The eunuch whispered a few words into Eunuch Rong's ear, prompting Eunuch Rong to step forward, bow at the waist, and say to Xuanyuan Ren, "Your Majesty, Prince Jun has sent someone to report!" Xuanyuan Ren nodded, and Eunuch Rong straightened up and proclaimed loudly, "Present Chen Gui, the guard of Prince Jun's estate, for an audience!" Everyone shifted their focus to Chen Gui, who had just entered.

Chen Gui first knelt and kowtowed to Xuanyuan Ren, saying, "This humble commoner greets Your Majesty. May Your Majesty live for ten thousand years, ten thousand years, ten thousand years!" Xuanyuan Ren nodded. Chen Gui looked up respectfully and said, "Your Majesty, the Prince instructed this humble commoner to deliver this letter to you. General Huancheng sacrificed his life to save the Prince, and the Prince hopes that Your Majesty will pardon General Huancheng of the crime of treason and colluding with the enemy!" He was merely responsible for delivering the message; everything else was unrelated to him.

Yue'er hurriedly asked, "Is the Prince alright?" She seemed to have forgotten to deliberately conceal her concern for Zhao Chengxian, displaying her urgency and worry so directly. Fortunately, everyone's attention was fixed on Chen Gui, and no one noticed Yue'er's loss of composure; otherwise, it would surely have aroused suspicion. Whenever matters concerning Zhao Chengxian arose, Yue'er found it difficult to control her emotions.

Chen Gui recounted the whole sequence of events from beginning to end, at which point Yue'er finally breathed a sigh of relief. As long as Zhao Chengxian was safe, nothing else mattered. Xuanyuan Ren made a prompt and decisive ruling: "Have General Huancheng's family treated with generous hospitality. Deliver Prince Poli of the Lanyan Empire, along with Our letter and the evidence, to the Lanyan emissaries. This case is finally concluded! You may all return home today to rest well, and we shall discuss further rewards during the early court session tomorrow." Understanding that everyone had worked tirelessly, they each bowed and withdrew from Xuanyuan Ren's presence.