Chapter 262 We Owe Each Other Nothing

Yan Mu raised his head a little slowly, his empty and lifeless eyes staring blankly at the bright yellow.

Seeing his son like this, the emperor's heart sank as if a stone had been tied to it. He didn't know where the panic came from, but he quickly looked away and said, "After you finish talking to your mother, come find me."

After saying that, the bright yellow light left in a hurry and never came to Zhongcui Palace again.

The dark and faded door was gently closed. No one knew when it would be repainted red and welcome a new owner.

Two hours passed before someone knocked on the door of the main hall of Changqing Palace.

"Your Majesty, the Third Prince is waiting outside."

The tip of the pen hovered in the air. The emperor raised his eyes slightly and said in a deep voice, "Let him in."

"Yes." Eunuch Fulu responded softly, then left the house. In a moment, he brought Yan Mu in.

Yan Mu hung his head, said nothing, and knelt on the ground as he stepped over the threshold. Perhaps he had lost all his strength, but he couldn't even call out "Father".

The next moment, black words appeared before his eyes.

——Taolin Mountain in the suburbs of Beijing, three courtyards.

Yan Mu's eyes shook slightly, and he looked up at his father standing in front of him. The redness at the corners of his eyes had not yet dissipated.

Without waiting for him to speak, the emperor bent down and sat down on the floor tiles casually.

Eunuch Fulu immediately frowned and said with distress, "Your Majesty——"

"Don't worry about it." The emperor waved his hand, looking indifferent, "You can go down. I want to have a good talk with Mu'er."

"...Yes, I will take my leave."

The door of the main hall was closed, and all the palace servants in the courtyard were driven out by Fulu, leaving him alone to guard the door.

"The ground is cold..." Yan Mu finally spoke and stretched out his hand to help him.

The emperor shook his head, held his hand, and solemnly handed the letter to him, "Son, do you hate your father?"

It sounds like the tone of ordinary people chatting about their daily lives.

Yan Mu's body froze for a moment, and he stared at him blankly, without any reaction for a moment.

"Father thinks you must be resentful. Resentful that I gave you birth into an imperial family, resentful that the imperial power forced your mother to death." The emperor sat on the ground, legs crossed, as if the cold brick floor were a warm kang. "Yan Ci has come to me and explained all your contributions. This house was originally prepared for your mother."

Yan Mu's eyelashes trembled slightly as she looked at him in disbelief.

"Taolin Mountain. Just hearing the name of this mountain makes me think it's beautiful. When the peach blossoms bloom, the petals covering the mountain cover the stone steps leading up the mountain, and the whole mountain is pink. It's not close to the city center, but I didn't forget to give her a carriage."

"When your mother first entered the palace, she was younger than the other concubines and had the temperament of a timid cat." The emperor lowered his eyes to look at the dried ink on the paper, his tone surprisingly calm. "I am exhausted by the endless deaths and endless fighting in this palace. But I am the king of a country, in a high position and cannot move. Now I give you the opportunity to choose. Dad hopes you can leave."

Yan Mu's fingertips, which were holding the paper, turned pale and trembled slightly. "Father, I, your son..."

"No need to say more, Dad understands everything." The emperor patted his shoulder and whispered, "Have you forgotten? You are the one who looks most like Dad."

"Son, please forgive me. I can't be so cruel as to banish you from the palace. Once Peach Blossom Courtyard is ready, I will make you a king. Your fiefdom will be closer to the capital, so it will be convenient for me to visit you often and ease my longing for you."

Yan Mu lowered his head, tears welling in his eyes, "Father..."

The emperor smiled helplessly, intending to tease him, "You don't even call Lin your mother, so why don't you call me father?"

"Dad..." Tears rolled down his cheeks. Yan Mu leaned his head gently on his shoulder and cried, "Thank you, son."

The emperor raised his hand and put his arm around his shoulders. The father and son leaned against each other, the sunlight quietly shining on their faces, it was quiet and beautiful.

"Your grandfather once told me that there's no father-son love in the royal family, but I don't think that's right. As a father, he didn't rest in peace until he had paved the way for me, for his disappointing son. You and Ci'er are filial, and that warms my heart." The emperor closed his eyes, a smile on his lips. "I hope that one day you can all live the lives you want."

"I have prepared a lot of banknotes and manpower for you, as well as a lot of flower seeds sent from other countries—"

"My son doesn't need anything. Since I've decided to leave, I can't squander our family's money anymore." Yan Mu lowered his eyelashes, and his tone seemed to carry some pleading. "My son has only one wish, please fulfill it."

The emperor was stunned, somewhat confused, "What wish?"

-

Ministry of Punishment

Yun Ya gently twisted the hairpin in her hand, her eyes looking a little lonely.

She had wiped the hairpin carefully many times to make sure that Somon's dirty blood was not splashed on it.

There were footsteps behind him, and then there was the sound of an iron lock loosening.

Yun Ya didn't even turn her head, her heart ashen. "Although I'm from the northwest, I've never done anything wrong to Yan Mu. Your trial will be in vain. You can kill me or chop me up, it's all up to you."

"You go."

Yun Ya's body trembled, and she turned around hastily. She saw the thin figure standing at the prison door. Somehow, a sour feeling surged to the tip of her nose. She involuntarily took two steps forward and muttered, "Yan Mu..."

His eyes were red and swollen, obviously he had cried heart-wrenchingly.

Yan Mu lowered his eyes and looked at the golden hairpin in her hand. Hurt flashed in his eyes and he whispered, "Go, go back to the northwest."

"I... have you talked to them? Are they really willing to let me go?" Yun Ya's face lit up with joy, then as if realizing something, the curve of her mouth slowly flattened. "You're going to attack the northwest. If you let me go, you want to use me as a hostage, right?"

"It was the Northwest that tore up the peace treaty first. Otherwise, who would be willing to start a war and waste people's money and resources?" Yan Mu turned sideways, without denying her words, without a trace of nostalgia on his face. "I have nothing to say to you. Go ahead. From now on, we will pretend that we have never met. We owe each other nothing."

Yun Ya's heart sank to the bottom of the valley. She stared blankly at the man's profile and suddenly felt as if she had just met him today. She nervously pinched the golden hairpin in her hand. Knowing that she was in the wrong, she walked past Yan Mu with her head down, still wearing the clothes he had chosen for her.

"Yan Mu." Yun Ya walked to the corner and suddenly stopped. "Whether you believe it or not, I have never had any bad thoughts towards you."

Her voice echoed in the cell. Yan Mu was unable to close his eyes. Unfortunately, Yun Ya did not look back and did not realize that this tear was shed for her.

Yun Ya wiped away her tears, picked up her skirt and ran out. Nanny Qing, who was waiting outside, smiled at her ingratiatingly and guided her to walk outside.

She took one last look in the direction of the Ministry of Punishment and never looked back.