"You said that the Crown Prince of Zhao had released you all!?" The Emperor of Ma State did not think that his people would be released, but he did not find his son anywhere within them. The Ma Emperor knew that his son's guard would take any risk to have the crown prince safely escape but lost his life in the process. Hearing each of his people tell him what happened, he did not think that the Crown Prince of Zhao would help his people. The Crown Prince of Zhao had even given a letter to one of his people to tell him that he would search for his son. Holding his head, he had let out a heavy sigh to hear all of this. 'Why is he helping us? Is he trying to finally take his place on the throne?' The Ma Emperor knew that the Crown Prince of Zhao was born from the previous empress from the Sun State. Thinking to his younger years when he had met Yi Changpu's mother, she was a kind and generous woman. 'It is unfortunate that she was sent off to marry the Zhao Emperor. Now, her son is caught up in the war for the throne. The current Zhao Empress is threatening me as well to support her son.' Caught in between this battle, he wished that there would be no such struggle for power.

"Your Highness, is there anything that you can tell the Crown Prince of Zhao about the Crown Prince of Ma? We cannot let the Zhao Empress find out that the Crown Prince of Zhao is looking for your son. We are at a disadvantage right now since the crown prince is still in that state, and the Zhao Empress has her eyes set on us for our support for her son. The only one who can help us right now is the Crown Prince of Zhao. You know about his background. I believe that he is a man who can take over the Zhao State."

"That's true. The Crown Prince of Zhao would be a suitable Emperor for Zhao's state. We've all heard stories about him. If we can let the Crown Prince of Zhao help us look for our crown prince, then we can help him take the throne. It may even benefit our state when he becomes the emperor."

The Ma Emperor listened to each of his advisors' words, thinking that all of their pieces of advice were easy, but he feared that it would still be complicated. 'There are still many things that we do not know about when it comes to the Crown Prince of Zhao. He can be a man who hides his true face behind the shadows. Not everything can be based on rumors. But...' It was confirmed that the Zhao Empress was still focused primarily on him since he had never responded to any of her requests. He then noticed that he still held the letter in his hand from Yi Changpu. The letter had written:

'I will need your help with keeping the Zhao Empress distracted. To find your son, I will need some kind of detail to find him in this state. The Zhao Empress's people are desperately looking for him as well. We can only be cautious of the letters that we send to each other regarding how or what the crown prince looks like. I plan to take action to claim my rightful throne, but I will need your help.' -Yi Changpu

'Maybe, I can trust this prince. It will be a gamble that I will have to take part in.' The Ma Emperor had no choice but to choose between helping the Zhao Empress or the Crown Prince of Zhao.

***

"Ning, you seem bothered lately." Xu Meili figured that today was a good day to spend with Lin Ning, but she could see that Lin Ning's mind had been elsewhere.

Lin Ning sighed, "Meili, I... I can't shake this feeling off. I fear that something bad is going to happen soon." Lin Ning could not help it, but she was becoming fearful of what could happen in the future. 'Everything is changing too drastically. The original plot is of no importance anymore. Since the Crown Prince of Ma is nowhere to be found, the Zhao Empress will try and still threaten the Ma Emperor to support her son. Yi Changpu is the Crown Prince of Zhao, and Cao Peizhi is his best friend and similar to a brother in a way. All of this can lead to another war over the throne. There will only be blood to shed if that were to happen, and Cao Peizhi...' Lin Ning felt a hand wrap around her two hands, facing Xu Meili, who smiled towards her.

"You are worried that Cao Peizhi will be in danger." Xu Meili could tell that Lin Ning was thinking of Cao Peizhi's safety with the fear that another war could occur. Lin Ning nodded, not even realizing that her hands had been trembling throughout the entire time that only Xu Meili had noticed it. "I don't know what will happen, but I can only know to trust the person that I love and cherish most during those times. Do you think you can trust Cao Peizhi?"

Lin Ning knew that trust had to reside within two people who love each other. She knew that she was weak and knew nothing about combat or fighting like most did. "En." Lin Ning wished that there was more that she could do to help them all than to just sit around so carefree.

"Ning, there is a Lantern Festival that is happening tonight. Why don't we both go and offer a lantern?" Xu Meili figured that it would be good for them to go out and see the Lantern Festival within the city that resided at the border.

'Lantern Festival.' She then recalled that the Lantern Festival was where most went to make a wish. "E-En, I'll be looking forward to seeing you there." Lin Ning held a smile, feeling more relaxed after Xu Meili had calmed her down.

"Don't overthink anything. Everything will eventually work out. Have hope and trust for the person that you cherish. If they have just as much hope and trust as you do, it will make things easier. Okay?" Xu Meili saw Lin Ning as a younger sister, hoping that she would not have to suffer through anything along the road. "You are like my little sister. I do not want to see you go through hardship. If you ever come to have no one by your side, then I will always be by your side. You can always come to me." Xu Meili had hugged Lin Ning, who started crying while hugging Xu Meili.

"Thank you." Lin Ning hugged Xu Meili back, thinking back to her previous life whenever she was sad, then her best friend would comfort her in the same way.