Chapter 17: Lock her up so she can't run away

Xiao Yan would never mistake Meng Mingshu's handwriting for his daughter's drawing of a pig.

He held the note tremblingly, reading the contents and handwriting over and over again, confirming them repeatedly.

My heart was beating so hard, as if it would jump out of my chest at any moment.

They are still alive! In Chongzhou Prefecture!

The young eunuch obviously noticed that the prince looked unwell.

"Your Highness, what's wrong with you?"

Xiao Yan tightly grasped the note and, with great effort, barely suppressed the joy in his heart.

"Bring the medicine..."

He must not let his body continue to collapse.

…

Xuanzheng Hall.

"The prince actually came to me?"

The emperor looked surprised, as his son had never approached him on his own initiative and had always been lukewarm towards him.

"Let's go and have a look."

The emperor stood up.

Even though he had just returned from the prince's place and had not had a moment's rest, the emperor rushed over again.

When the emperor stepped into the inner hall, surprise flashed in his eyes.

Xiao Yan usually just lay in bed, his face as pale as a death, looking disheartened.

Whenever the emperor saw him like this, he couldn't help but feel anxious, fearing that he would lose his only son.

But at this moment, Xiao Yan not only sat up, he even took the initiative to drink the medicine.

The emperor watched Xiao Yan swallow a bowl of medicine very consciously, and then took the initiative to speak to the imperial physician:

"Bring me another bowl of medicine."

Xiao Yan himself was well versed in medical theory, and continued:

"I'm telling you about the prescription. You write it. My Qi and blood are severely depleted, and my body is in great condition. The medicine you prescribed isn't potent enough."

"In addition to this medicine, there's also a tonic. Please remember this."

The emperor stood there in a daze.

He had just met Xiao Yan an incense stick ago.

A stick of incense burned before Xiao Yan still looked like he was dying.

But now, although Xiao Yan's face was pale, he was obviously different.

It was as if a person who had lost his soul suddenly found it again.

What happened during his absence caused Xiao Yan to undergo a drastic change.

"Your Majesty."

Seeing everyone in the room kneeling down, Xiao Yan looked over.

"Father."

The emperor stood there in a daze.

He had only heard Xiao Yan call him that when he was young.

After finding Xiao Yan, he only called him "Your Majesty", and the implication of alienation was very obvious.

"Yan'er."

The emperor walked quickly to Xiao Yan's bedside and almost bumped into the table.

Xiao Yan continued, "I need your help with something."

"Okay, okay, just tell me."

The emperor agreed without even listening to what Xiao Yan asked for.

"Please ask your Majesty to withdraw your order."

"The people who brought the letter today are indeed my deceased wife and children."

"What?"

The emperor looked extremely shocked: "Are you sure?"

Xiao Yan nodded calmly: "I have read the letter and have confirmed that it is correct."

“Okay, okay!”

“That’s a good thing.”

The emperor looked delighted, and all the wrinkles on his face seemed to have smoothed out.

He was most afraid that Xiao Yan would not live long, and he was also afraid that Xiao Yan would remain faithful to his deceased wife for the rest of his life.

As long as that woman is alive, there will be hope for his grandson in the future.

Now I have a granddaughter.

A granddaughter is not as good as a grandson, but now she is his only grandchild, so she is naturally a treasure.

"I will send someone to take them back to Beijing."

Xiao Yan shook his head: "I will go to receive him personally."

The emperor frowned, his face showing worry:

"You are not in good health right now, how can you travel so hard? Don't worry, the emperor will send the imperial guards."

Xiao Yan was very persistent on this matter:

"I was worried, but now that I know they are still alive, my worries are gone and I will recover soon."

The emperor sighed.

He knew Xiao Yan's stubborn temper, and he knew even more clearly how much he valued that woman.

Since I can't stop it, I can only help.

"Take Doctor Liu with you. He will be checking your pulse and understanding your condition."

"Order the two ministers, Zhang Wenyu and Liu Ziheng, to follow you."

"Bring the Royal Guards with you to ensure your safety on the journey..."

Xiao Yan did not refuse.

Meng Mingshu loves the hustle and bustle and also cares about face. I think she would be happier if she was welcomed back to Beijing with such fanfare.

"Thank you, Father."

The emperor shook his head, his face full of relief: "You and I are father and son, why bother thanking me."

"Your son wants to question Liu Zhongquan."

…

When Liu Zhongquan was brought up, he originally thought that His Majesty would also punish him.

He knelt down tremblingly, only to find out that it was to reward him.

Huge joy fell on Liu Zhongquan's head. This is what it means to be in heaven or hell with just one thought.

Liu Zhongquan tried his best to suppress the joy in his heart. He knew clearly that he could go one step further.

"How many days will it take you to get back from the capital?"

"Four days, not three."

Liu Zhongquan was eager to show off, so he knelt on the ground:

"I have a carrier pigeon in my mansion. It's faster than other pigeons and can deliver the letter to my cousin in just three days."

"So it can be delivered to you in three days."

This time was shorter than Xiao Yan thought.

The emperor also said: "Then let Liu Zhongquan follow you from now on. It will be convenient for you to send letters by carrier pigeon while you are on the road."

Liu Zhongquan was ecstatic. He suppressed his excitement and waited for the Crown Prince to nod.

Xiao Yan did not object: "Yes."

Xiao Yan wrote a reply. He wanted to write a lot, but there was only so much he could write on a note.

Xiao Yan could only continue to streamline.

The emperor frowned when he saw the contents of the letter:

"You're going to arrive in Chongzhou Prefecture in half a month?"

The emperor frowned:

"Yan'er, the capital is a long way from Chongzhou Prefecture. It will probably take more than half a month to get there. Besides, you are seriously ill and still need to recuperate before you can set off."

Xiao Yan shook his head, very determined:

"If we set out tomorrow, we can reach the destination in half a month by traveling day and night."

"The sooner I can get them mother and daughter, the more peace of mind I can feel."

The emperor was silent for a long time and wanted to stop him, but when he thought of Xiao Yan's temperament, he finally agreed.

"Then you should take a carriage for a few days and take medicine on the way. When you feel better, you can continue your journey on horseback..."

Xiao Yan nodded this time, but given his physical condition, he might not be able to mount a horse tomorrow.

Xiao Yan personally released the carrier pigeon and watched it fly away for a long time.

————

After the emperor left, the smile on Xiao Yan's face disappeared completely.

Xiao Yan only had superficial father-son affection for the emperor.

The emperor thought he didn't know what happened back then, but in fact Xiao Yan knew it better than anyone else.

Before, he thought that his wife and daughter were gone, so he had no desires and was not respectful to the emperor.

But now that Meng Mingshu and Tuan'er are alive, Xiao Yan naturally has to make some changes.

He didn't care about the throne, but he knew that Meng Mingshu must care.

He would give her the wealth and glory she wanted, but he would never allow Meng Mingshu to leave him again.

"Call Jiang Yu over."

The prince's change of expression made Eunuch Liu's nerves tense instantly.

But Liu Zhongquan didn't dare to reveal a single word.

It’s simple, Your Majesty is old, and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is still young.

Sooner or later, the world will belong to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

"I'll go right away."

——

"Your Highness."

Jiang Yu came very quickly.

As soon as he entered the hall, he knelt down and saluted, respectfully and with a sense of familiarity.

Jiang Yu and Xiao Yan are cousins.

Xiao Yan said, "I need my cousin to do something."

Jiang Yu nodded seriously, then waited quietly for Xiao Yan's instructions.

But Jiang Yu didn't expect that Xiao Yan wanted him to build a secret room in the East Palace.

You also need to build cages and chains in a dark room.

"A dark room, a cage, and chains? Your Highness, do you want to imprison the criminal?"

Jiang Yu is a nerd and doesn't understand these things.

Xiao Yan's eyes were deep, and he did not deny it: "Yes, this is a very important prisoner. I will personally detain and interrogate him."

"But whoever offended Your Highness, I am willing to help Your Highness capture that person."

Xiao Yan shook his head: "You don't need to do anything, just do what I tell you to do."

Jiang Yu's expression froze, and he knelt down again: "I obey your command."

After Jiang Yu left, Xiao Yan drank another bowl of tonic.

Emotions do have a huge impact on people, and now he feels that his energy and spirit have improved a lot.

Take the medicine on time for the next ten days, and you should feel much better by the time you arrive in Chongzhou Prefecture.

Xiao Yan held the note written by Meng Mingshu, and his dark eyes gradually became deep.

He was not a fool. After the huge surprise, Xiao Yan was able to guess that Meng Mingshu's fake death was intentional.

She wanted to abandon him.

In order to prevent him from finding her, she chose to fake her death to avoid future trouble.

Xiao Yan was not surprised by Meng Mingshu's cruelty.

He already knew what kind of woman Meng Mingshu was.

She is vain, willful, spoiled, bad-tempered, and easily bored with the old...

Meng Mingshu has a lot of shortcomings, but she is also good at coaxing people.

In order to trick him into her heart, Meng Mingshu humbled herself in every way and took care of him in every possible way.

In this way, Xiao Yan fell into the hands of Meng Mingshu.

But after he fell, Meng Mingshu quickly became disgusted with him.

Except for the time when she was pregnant with Tuan'er, Meng Mingshu never let him touch her again in the four years since they got married.

Xiao Yan knew that she despised his low status and had already thought of divorce.

But his feelings for Meng Mingshu ultimately prevailed, and Xiao Yan pretended not to know.

Meng Mingshu didn't want him to touch her, so Xiao Yan suppressed his desire.

At the age of full vigor and vitality, Xiao Yan endured sleeping with his beloved woman every day for four years.

He had already endured to the limit, his sanity was in jeopardy and was about to explode.

He won't tolerate it anymore.

When he finds Meng Mingshu, he will teach her a lesson.

Everything that was endured and suppressed in the past will be made up for double.

"Ah Shu, you really played it too big this time."

Xiao Yan narrowed his black eyes, revealing a turbulent rage.

After Meng Mingshu faked her death, Xiao Yan understood everything.

He had been too kind and indulgent to her in the past.

Blindly indulging Meng Mingshu will only make her bolder and bolder.

He was so big that he even dared to fake his death with Tuan'er.

From now on, whether to have her, when to have her, how many times, how long... everything is up to him.

He would give her the honor, status, and favor she wanted... He would make her the queen and the mother of the country.

But at the same time, I will also discipline her well.

He wanted to lock her up so that she could never run away again and could never leave him.

She can only be his.