Xiao Yanxi was gentle and steady by nature and was rarely playful, so Ning Chen naturally played along wholeheartedly.

"That pressure's just right..." As she spoke, Xiao Yanxi took the tea Feng Qizheng handed her, and then she slowly began to tell it.

By the time Xiao Yanxi finished, everyone was struck dumb as a dog.

Lei An couldn't help grumbling, "That's way too good. Not even a storybook would dare write it like that, would it?"

Yuan Long nodded in agreement. "A powerful minister like Zong Sibo, done in by his own concubine and steward... It's just too hard to believe."

Feng Qizheng said, "And then there's that Kang Xiao, who actually killed his own child... But the most badass of all is that Yunniang. A lowly concubine, and she actually climbed into Zhang Tianlun's bed."

Gloating all over his face, Ning Chen said, "Reality is often more exciting than any storybook, more bizarre, more melodramatic.

I never would've thought the eastern frontier had been this lively lately.

That Yunniang is a real badass. She's had all these powerful men wrapped around her finger. I almost have to admire her.

So, has Kang Luo led his troops back to Nanyue by now?"

Xiao Yanxi nodded. "Zhang Tianlun pushed Kang Luo too far, and he attacked outright... But Kang Luo didn't dare fight for real. The hundred and forty thousand men he has right now are crucial, and he couldn't afford any losses.

So they fought several times, but it was all small skirmishes, with few casualties.

In the end, fortunately, they came to terms... Kang Xiao stays behind with forty thousand Nanyue troops. Really, he's a hostage.

Kang Luo leads a hundred thousand troops back to Nanyue, and once things in Nanyue are settled, he has to lead his army back to help Zhang Tianlun deal with you.

You'll never guess whose idea that was."

Ning Chen smiled. "Yunniang?"

Xiao Yanxi nodded. "That's right. It was Yunniang who gave Zhang Tianlun the idea."

Ning Chen narrowed his eyes slightly. "This Yunniang really is something. She even has a hand…