"Hmm, you're right," Xuan Qi said, his words tinged with a smile.

　　I wasn't very happy hearing that and turned my body away from him.

　　"I don't know, let's wait and see," I replied.

　　He leaned closer, lightly biting my shoulder and mumbled, "I have a plan.

　　Do you want to hear it, An Xuan?" I felt a bit ticklish, why was he biting like a dog? Xuan Qi's hand wrapped around my waist, pulling me into his embrace.

　　"It's all because of my negligence.

　　I will work harder in the future so that An Xuan won't feel troubled." I blushed and tried to dodge him, but couldn't escape, resulting in another ridiculous encounter.

　　At that time, I was completely immersed in a harmonious life and completely forgot that he still didn't have an official concubine.

　　For the Manchu people, as long as there was no legal wife, no matter how many concubines there were, it was not considered a marriage.

　　Bastard children were seen as supporting the family and strengthening the clan, so the more, the better.

　　What disrupted my seemingly peaceful life was the regular audience with the Northern Mongolian.

　　That was also the moment when I met the Northern Mongolian Princess Danxia, who later became the Princess of Ning.

　　When I saw her, I finally understood what it meant to be a rare beauty in the world.

　　Danxia comes from a noble background, with a pretty appearance and a lively personality.

　　She likes to wear a fiery red outfit, attracting everyone's attention.

　　The marriage between the Manchu and the Mongolian is an old custom, and when the sixteen-year-old county princess appeared in the southern capital, she became the object of everyone's envy.

　　The late emperor treated the Northern Mongolian royal family with great hospitality, especially the Danxia county princess.

　　During her time in the southern capital, she was surrounded by pursuing imperial princes and nobles.

　　Even Xuanqi, who was usually reserved, changed his character and tried his best to make her smile by brainstorming gift ideas.

　　From the beginning, I knew that I could only have Xuanqi to myself for a period of time.

　　Once he married the legitimate wife, his tenderness and sweet words would no longer belong to me.

　　But I didn't expect this dream to end in just two years.

　　Since I couldn't captivate my husband with my appearance, I had to win his favor through generosity and virtue.

　　I suppressed the sourness in my heart and gave Xuanqi an idea: "Your Highness, when I saw the county princess's martial arts skills that day, I thought it would be a good idea to give her some gifts related to archery and horseback riding." "The Imperial Autumn Hunting is coming soon, and the county princess must want to shine.

　　Xuanqi was originally troubled, but when he heard my suggestion, he seemed lost in thought.

　　He got up, hugged me, and left to prepare.

　　I watched him leave without looking back, and I suppressed the intense pain in my heart.

　　Dongdong was worried about me: "Your Majesty." I pushed her hand away, slowly sat down, actually, it's a good thing for the county princess to become Xuanqi's legitimate wife.

　　She comes from the grasslands of the frontier and has a straightforward and assertive personality.

　　She doesn't like petty matters and is not interested in the struggles of the inner palace.

　　Therefore, at least I can continue to manage the harem on behalf of Xuanqi, without relying solely on his favor.

　　The late emperor attached great importance to the once-in-ten-years meeting with the Northern Mongols, and the scale of the Imperial Autumn Hunting was three times larger than in previous years.

　　Although I lived a secluded life and was not skilled in archery and horseback riding, I used to accompany him on these events.

　　In Xuanqi's words, it was to take a break.

　　His archery skills are not that great either, so we often ride together.

　　If we encounter an unfortunate little rabbit, I can have an extra rabbit fur scarf.

　　But this year, the thought of seeing Xuanqi taking care of Danxia while I watched from aside made me uncomfortable.

　　So I declined Xuanqi's invitation.

　　He seemed to understand what I was thinking, stared at me intently, and asked, "A Xian, don't you like Danxia?" I immediately cheered up and said, "I dare not.

　　The county princess is pure and lively.

　　Who wouldn't like her?" He shook his head and said, "You know that's not what I mean." The smile on my lips faded slightly, and after a while, I said, "But the county princess is important to you, isn't she?" He didn't deny it, and his face hidden in the shadows became gloomy.

　　The Northern Mongols were important allies to the late emperor, and the county princess was the key to reaching the supreme position for all the imperial princes.

　　On the surface, they competed for the favor of the county princess, but in fact, their ultimate goal was to gain the support of the Northern Mongols and even the Dragon Throne under the late emperor.