Chapter 441: Follow me back to the palace]

It is early spring again. The land and cities of Youzhou on the northern border are still covered with snow, and the willow trees along the moat of the capital have just turned green. However, the seaside of Lingnan is already a scene of colorful flowers.

"Sir, I've asked around. The villagers said that the most magnificent courtyard is Madam Gu's home." Yuan Xu said softly.

Xiao Yunshuo looked at the small courtyard hidden among the flowers and greenery from afar, his eyes filled with anger, unspeakable pain and... timidity.

She... is in that courtyard.

He had searched for so long and finally found her. At this moment, he really wanted to hug her tightly and ask her why she was so cruel and left so cleanly without leaving any clues or room for further investigation!

Soon they were outside the courtyard gate. A servant sweeping the floor saw them, asked a few questions, and then went to the courtyard to report: "Madam, two strangers want to see you... Alas! Why did you barge in without knowing the truth? Get out of here quickly..."

Before he could finish his words, the servant was frightened by the men in black who suddenly appeared around the yard.

"My husband... is a bandit..."

Chen Fenghe came out of the main house at this time. Seeing the tall and graceful figure in the yard, she couldn't help but shudder. Then she looked at the black-clad men standing guard around the courtyard wall. She couldn't help but sigh in her heart and said, "Butler Li, it's okay. Please invite the guests in and pour tea."

Xiao Yunshuo walked into the room with a sour face and said coldly, "No need to pour tea."

As he spoke, he waved his hand, and the door behind him slammed shut, locking all the strangers out.

Chen Fenghe: “…”

The next second, she was held in Xiao Yunshuo's arms, her back against the wall, and then her lips were kissed.

Chen Fenghe: “…”

She did not resist. If she dared to refuse now, the man would probably become even crazier.

"You ran quite far! Do you dare to run again in the future?" He bit her lips hard and said coldly with anger and grievance.

Before Chen Fenghe could say anything, the sound of a baby crying suddenly came from the inner room.

Xiao Yunshuo's face instantly turned ashen, his eyes glaring at her fiercely, "You...remarried? Who was that man? Is it that Gu Hongzhi?"

Chen Fenghe: “…”

The inner wall of my mouth was bitten, and the tip of my tongue tasted salty and hurt so much.

She raised her hand angrily to push Xiao Yunshuo away and said, "Let go!"

He had been pulling her to bite him the moment they met, and now he was suspecting her of being with another man, and even suspecting Gu Hongzhi? Was she so desperate in his eyes?

Seeing her trying to break free, Xiao Yunshuo refused to let her go. Instead, he held her tighter. With bloodshot eyes, he gritted his teeth and asked, "No! Don't forget, you are still my queen! If you don't explain clearly, I will never let go!"

Perhaps because the child heard his angry voice, the crying of the child in the inner room became louder.

Chen Fenghe was a little anxious and whispered, "Let go first! Come and see for yourself and you'll know!"

It has come to this point that it is impossible to hide it, so it is better to tell the whole story.

Xiao Yunshuo stared at her with a frown, but finally let go and followed Chen Fenghe into the inner room.

On the soft couch in the inner room, two delicate little ones were clasping their hands together and crying with all their might, looking both pitiful and adorable.

Xiao Yunshuo stood at the door in a daze.

He had seen the Ninth Prince before when he was only a few days old. He was much smaller, with a wrinkled face, and looked extremely ugly.

However, the two little guys in front of me were both pink and tender, very cute, and looked as if they were three or four months old.

Calculating it, these two little guys should have been born last year, when... Chen Fenghe was still in the palace...

Xiao Yunshuo's pupils suddenly contracted, and the hands hidden in his robe sleeves couldn't help but tremble slightly.

He walked over almost timidly and asked, "They are..."

His child?

It was such a simple question, but he couldn't ask it for a moment.

What if... he was wrong.

After all, more than a year ago, she could leave without hesitation and without warning, which might mean that she didn't like him - or didn't like him that much.

How could she... give birth to his child?

Chen Fenghe didn't ask what the rest of his question was. She picked up one of the children, turned around and looked at him, and said softly: "This is Yu Yin, her nickname is Yu'er. This is Hai Chao, Chao'er."

Xiao Yunshuo looked at her, then shifted his gaze to the faces of the two little guys.

Maybe it was because they sensed their mother's presence that they all stopped crying.

Yu'er tilted her little head, put her forehead against Shen Fenghe's cheek, sucked her little fingers and looked at Xiao Yunshuo timidly.

Chao'er was so anxious that he frantically moved his hands and feet, trying to get up, but because he was small and weak, he couldn't move his hands and feet skillfully, and his efforts were in vain. He could only anxiously say "Hmm! Hmm!"

His name is Yun Shuo. Shuo Ri is the first day of every month, when the tide comes and the moonlight disappears.

The word "玉" should come from the moon.

Xiao Yunshuo's gaze returned to Chen Fenghe's face. His tone had long since lost its previous anger and resentment, becoming gentle and affectionate: "Chao'er and Yu'er...are they our children?"

Chen Fenghe nodded and said, "Yeah."

Chao'er finally got anxious and started crying again with a "wa".

Xiao Yunshuo was at a loss for a moment.

Chen Fenghe pushed Yu'er into his arms, then picked up Chao'er and rocked him gently to stop him from crying.

"It was only after I left the palace that I discovered I was pregnant, and ten months later, they were born."

Xiao Yunshuo was almost in a panic trying to protect the little baby in his arms. Fortunately, although Yu'er was a stranger, she didn't seem to dislike or be afraid of him. She just tilted her head curiously, ate her fingers, and looked at him with a pair of beautiful eyes like black grapes.

Xiao Yunshuo came back to his senses and asked with some resentment, "Why are you leaving? Why don't you return to the palace? I will arrange a carriage immediately, and we will return to the palace immediately..."

Chen Fenghe looked at him calmly and said, "Xiao Yunshuo! You should have read the letter I left behind. I should have also written the reason for my departure very clearly."

A flash of despair flashed through Xiao Yunshuo's eyes, and he gritted his teeth and said, "I know you want to be with me forever, and you don't want to share me with other women. I should have told you that you can tell me whatever you want, and I will definitely agree to it. Why...you didn't say a word, didn't ask a single question, and then you thought I couldn't do it, and you had to leave without saying goodbye? Why don't you take a look at me this past year. Have I ever selected a concubine or taken a concubine?"

Shen Fenghe was stunned.

She was afraid of knowing the news that he had canonized concubines, so she deliberately ignored it. In addition, she lived in seclusion in a remote border area like Lingnan, where not many people talked about the emperor who was far away, so it was not easy to block out the news.

She originally thought that he had already re-enthroned the queen and concubines, otherwise, how could the ministers in the court give up?

Could it be that... he really has never taken a concubine?

Is it because... of the reason written in the letter she left behind?

"You...why are you doing this?" she sighed softly.

Xiao Yunshuo looked straight at her and said with a bitter smile, "Look, I said I could promise you, and I will definitely keep my word. You... still don't want to go back with me? Now that you have given birth to a son and a daughter for me, those court officials have even less reason and position to petition me to take a concubine, right? Feng He, come back with me, okay?"

Chen Fenghe looked at his haggard appearance. After not seeing him for a year, he had lost a lot of weight, his eye sockets were dark, and his beard was messy. It must be the exhaustion from traveling day and night to get here in the past few days. She couldn't help but feel a dull pain in her heart.

For a moment, she even impulsively wanted to agree to his request and go back with him.

"Feng He..." Xiao Yunshuo raised his hand and wanted to touch her cheek.

Finally, when his fingertips touched her, she took a step back and dodged.

"Your Majesty, please return. I do not wish to remain in the palace as Empress. One reason is that I do not wish to share my husband with another man. Another reason is that I do not wish to be imprisoned in that magnificent cage for the rest of my life, losing the right to choose. Even more so... I do not wish for my child to be trapped in the palace's intrigues and power struggles, losing the freedom to choose..."

"Feng He, our child... Chao'er will be the Crown Prince and the future Emperor after he returns to the palace. Who dares to hurt him? Who dares to restrict his freedom..."

"Crown Prince, the identity of the future emperor is the greatest limitation. The emperor's helplessness, Your Majesty must be the most aware of it, isn't it?"